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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 · present · craft · prune · roll · rash · band · fan

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — hasty
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — there
  9. roll — a list
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rash — a series
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a music group
  22. present — a gift
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. craft — boats

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