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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: snap · craft · calf · hand · mark · can · date · face

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — boats
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. can — to be able to
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a skill
  20. face — to confront
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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