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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.

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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — boats
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — for digging
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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