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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: hand · craft · date · face · stock · chip · arm · wake

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — shares
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chip — for betting
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — goods
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chip — to eat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — boats
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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