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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: face · arm · kick · bore · craft · wind · pop · saw

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — to confront
  11. kick — in football
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. craft — boats
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. craft — a skill
  20. face — to point toward
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pop — music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bore — to drill

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