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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 120 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: calf · land · face · last · content · rush · rest · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — happy
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — finally
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. last — final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. craft — a skill
  19. face — to confront
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. land — a country
  23. craft — boats
  24. content — the amount

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