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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · spell · game · face · pop · craft · net · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. pop — music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — a short time
  17. face — part of the head
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spell — letters
  20. net — in sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — to visit
  24. craft — boats

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