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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: craft · toast · charge · staff · lash · hand · dip · plane

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. dip — to sink
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. craft — boats
  9. plane — a tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. charge — a price
  12. toast — bread
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — help
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — in geometry

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