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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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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: wind · wave · fall · craft · mug · kid

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — a cup
  8. kid — child
  9. mug — a face
  10. craft — boats
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop

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