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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 120 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
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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: ground · craft · wave · march · content · plane · band · drill

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — boats
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ground — the earth
  14. march — music
  15. band — a ring
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — a position
  19. plane — a tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. craft — a skill
  24. content — happy

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