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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · craft · degree · row · file · plane · mug · calf

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — a face
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mug — to rob
  6. file — a tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. face — to confront
  9. row — a line
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mug — a cup
  13. face — part of the head
  14. degree — an amount
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — temperature
  18. file — a line of people
  19. craft — a skill
  20. plane — a tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. row — to paddle
  24. face — to point toward

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