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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 120 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: content · root · rock · craft · spell · face · clip · fall

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — happy
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. fall — the season
  16. root — of a word
  17. rock — a stone
  18. craft — a skill
  19. face — to confront
  20. content — the amount
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — a short time
  23. root — the cause
  24. face — part of the head

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