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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: band · content · wax · lie · nail · wound · can · craft

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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