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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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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: branch · pass · face · bark · hand · prune · mouse · deal

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. branch — a division
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — to shout
  17. face — to confront
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — help
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend time

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