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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: row · mate · nail · kid · face · craft · press · rock

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. mate — to breed
  4. row — a line
  5. press — to push
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. face — part of the head
  15. row — to paddle
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mate — a partner

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