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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: craft · stock · wind · content · plane · jam · chest · mate

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. content — the amount
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chest — a box
  11. stock — goods
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. craft — boats
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wind — moving air
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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