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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: face · stick · fork · deal · branch · trunk · tear · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — a division
  5. face — part of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — to confront
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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