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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: sharp · mine · wake · wind · jam · fall · deal · craft

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. craft — boats
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — the season
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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