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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. object — an aim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — to protest
  9. perch — the fish
  10. root — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a word
  18. object — a thing
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — the cause
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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