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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: kid · arm · bowl · root · wax · face · rest · craft

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kid — to tease
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. rest — what's left
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. craft — boats
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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