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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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Word bank
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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: craft · coach · stand · spell · bass · branch · wake · spring

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bass — the fish
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — boats
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — magic
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — of water
  24. stand — to bear

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