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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · band · hide · craft · court · club · pound · branch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. branch — a division
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — a skill
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — boats
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of law
  23. club — a group
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com