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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: prune · sharp · face · straw · cue · scale · hide · wound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — in music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cue — a hint
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cue — for pool

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