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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: present · bass · stick · bark · craft · band · pop · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — there
  10. land — to come down
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a music group
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. pop — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the fish

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