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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 · hand · face · rock · cap · mine · straw · charge

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — a lid
  3. craft — boats
  4. hand — in cards
  5. craft — a skill
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cap — a hat
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — to confront
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hand — help
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — music

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