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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — a video
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — to confront
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rule — government
  21. toast — bread
  22. rule — a law
  23. bank — of a river
  24. prune — to trim

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