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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 · wound · craft · tube · staff · swing · arm · kid

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. swing — in golf
  5. craft — boats
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — a container
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tube — the underground
  12. swing — to play on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — happy
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — employees

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