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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.

Words on the sheet
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: track · craft · content · leaves · band · march · toast · mouse

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. craft — a skill
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — boats
  11. track — a song
  12. march — music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a path
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. march — the month
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. content — videos and posts

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