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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: hand · craft · chip · foot · bark · stand · spell · face

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. craft — boats
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stand — to bear
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — letters
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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