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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · file · hand · staff · mouse · content · wound · wave

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. file — a tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — a box
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a document
  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