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

Word bank: craft · wind · last · firm · club · face

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. club — for golf
  4. firm — decided
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — final
  8. firm — steady
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — finally
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — to confront
  15. club — a group
  16. face — to point toward
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — to go on

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