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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — tied together
  3. craft — a skill
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bound — certain
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. shower — to wash

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