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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 120 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
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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 · board · stick · fan · craft · content · branch · foot

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — happy
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — a division
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. foot — a measure
  11. content — the amount
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. board — to get on
  19. craft — a skill
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. board — a committee
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — to cool the air

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