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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: object · craft · mine · cell · fine · present · chest · hide

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fine — high quality
  3. object — to protest
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — all right
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — boats
  13. object — an aim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. present — the time now
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. craft — a skill
  20. object — a thing
  21. present — there
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. present — a gift

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