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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: racket · chest · face · leaves · deal · craft · mark · root

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chest — a box
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. face — to point toward
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — to confront
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. craft — boats
  24. deal — to handle

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