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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.

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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — help
  4. root — of a plant
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. root — of a word
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. root — the cause
  23. craft — a skill
  24. face — part of the head

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