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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: shower · wake · content · hand · saw · wave · stick · craft

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. shower — to wash
  8. content — happy
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — boats
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — help
  18. craft — a skill
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — the amount
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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