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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 120 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 · craft · bank · vault · kick · hide · content · row

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. face — to confront
  5. content — happy
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. vault — a safe
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — part of the head
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — the amount
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kick — in football
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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