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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 116 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: craft · wind · mate · stick · mouse · face · pound · net

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mate — a partner
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — boats
  20. net — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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