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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.

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: craft · arm · club · prune · face · ground · net · racket

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — a position
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. net — for catching
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — part of the head
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. net — after costs
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ground — the earth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — crushed
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. club — a group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. club — for golf

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