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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. craft — boats
  4. net — in sport
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — the amount
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — a handicraft

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