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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: spring · fine · nail · wound · wave · craft · bound · chest

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fine — all right
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — a box
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chest — of your body

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