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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: arm · fine · face · wind · jam · root · craft · swing

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. craft — boats
  8. fine — high quality
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fine — all right
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. swing — in golf
  15. craft — a skill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. swing — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. face — to confront

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