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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 120 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: dip · deal · track · bound · pass · bay · prune · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. deal — to handle
  8. track — a song
  9. pass — a permit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. track — a path
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — to keep track
  15. dip — to sink
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bound — certain
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. dip — a sauce

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