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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 · craft · net · mug · wound · rest · mine · can

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. net — after costs
  12. craft — boats
  13. mug — to rob
  14. net — in sport
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rest — a break
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — for digging
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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