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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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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: rash · rest · craft · face · chip · kid · wound · wave

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — a series
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — boats
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rest — what's left

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