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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: band · nail · present · date · craft · bass · capital · stand

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — a city
  5. present — a gift
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. present — there
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. band — a ring
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — money
  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