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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: craft · face · tube · fall · rock · wave · bark · tear

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fall — the season
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tube — the underground
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rock — music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — a stone

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