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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: pop · hand · foot · kid · face · plane · craft · spell

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. plane — a tool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spell — letters
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — soda
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. foot — a measure
  22. craft — boats
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pop — music

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