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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 116 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: spring · face · craft · wake · safe · club · saw · kid

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — boats
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — part of the head
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. club — for golf
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spring — the season
  16. kid — to tease
  17. face — to point toward
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. craft — a skill

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