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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: march · game · coach · tube · craft · face · wind · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — a skill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. craft — boats
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. march — music
  14. face — to point toward
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a match
  24. march — the month

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