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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: wind · hand · plane · calf · content · pop · bank · craft

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bank — for money
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. plane — a tool
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. content — the amount
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — moving air

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