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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 · tear · plane · mate · straw · craft · can · capital

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. face — part of the head
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — to confront
  10. craft — a skill
  11. capital — a city
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. capital — money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tear — from crying
  23. face — to point toward
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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