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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: trunk · lash · root · craft · fork · stick · face · march

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — the month
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. craft — a skill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. root — of a word
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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