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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 120 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 · spring · wind · craft · kick · kid · cap · fine

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. spring — of water
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — of ice
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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