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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: saw · mug · cap · face · arm · stand · prune · wake

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — to rob
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — to confront
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stand — for spectators

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