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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 · mouse · rock · content · wound · firm · chip · cabinet

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. firm — decided
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — an injury

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