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

Word bank: cabinet · content · craft · chair · stick · wave

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — boats
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. craft — a skill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader

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