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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: face · branch · fine · row · chip · content · craft · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — all right
  10. pop — soda
  11. branch — a division
  12. chip — to eat
  13. content — happy
  14. craft — boats
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — for betting
  17. row — a line
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. face — to point toward
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. row — to paddle
  24. content — the amount

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