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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: plane · face · tear · chair · arm · ruler · squash · craft

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — boats
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. face — to confront
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. plane — a tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. squash — to crush
  24. arm — a part of something

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