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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: content · rest · craft · snap · wound · bore · wind · wave

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wound — an injury
  6. content — happy
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bore — to drill
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — a break
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wind — moving air
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. craft — boats
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wound — an injury

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