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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · content · stand · craft · mine · land · band · saw

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. land — to come down
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. content — happy

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