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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: fan · face · nail · date · craft · plane · prune · stand

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. face — to confront
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. prune — to trim
  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