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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: wave · stand · hand · craft · row · band · bass · ground

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bass — low music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. row — a line
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — help
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — crushed
  23. craft — boats
  24. wave — with your hand

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