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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: date · spell · snap · shower · face · march · staff · craft

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — part of the head
  3. staff — a stick
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. snap — to click
  9. craft — boats
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spell — a short time
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — letters
  17. craft — a skill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. staff — employees
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spell — magic
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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