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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: rest · tear · trunk · bass · squash · swing · craft · bank

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — low music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. craft — boats
  24. trunk — of a tree

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