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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 · prune · rash · wax · bowl · season · fine · face

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. face — to confront
  3. fine — all right
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rash — a series
  6. fine — high quality
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — of the year
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. craft — boats
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rash — on the skin

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