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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: bass · lie · mine · fine · wound · content · branch · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — the amount
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — happy
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lie — to recline
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. bass — the fish

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