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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: bowl · tear · craft · date · row · face · firm · foot

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. foot — a measure
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. face — to confront
  5. tear — to rip
  6. craft — boats
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. firm — a company
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. firm — steady
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — decided
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — part of the head
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bowl — a dish

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