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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: net · wake · face · present · tear · craft · hide · foot

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. present — the time now
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — a trail
  7. present — a gift
  8. face — to point toward
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — from crying
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — there
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. craft — a skill
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. craft — boats
  23. net — in sport
  24. hide — animal skin

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