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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 116 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: face · hand · wave · race · stick · staff · craft · tear

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. race — humankind
  4. hand — in cards
  5. face — to confront
  6. craft — boats
  7. race — a contest
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tear — to rip
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hand — help
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hand — part of the body

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