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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: face · spring · craft · saw · pitcher · row · branch · chair

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a line
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. face — to confront
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chair — a leader
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — a skill

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