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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: mine · spring · hand · nail · mouse · wind · craft · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. last — to go on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. last — finally
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spring — the season
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — final
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. craft — boats
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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