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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: plane · race · wind · mouse · craft · chest · charge · spell

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. race — humankind
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — the arms race
  13. craft — boats
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. race — a contest
  19. spell — letters
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — in control
  23. chest — a box
  24. craft — a handicraft

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