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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: content · net · wave · present · scale · mine · wind · staff

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — the time now
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — there
  10. net — in sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mine — for digging
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — after costs
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — happy
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — with your hand

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