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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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468
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 · tear · mine · can · rest · march · craft · swing

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — a break
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — boats
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — to rip
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — low music

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