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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · row · cell · branch · bear · file · spring · prune

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. spring — a coil
  6. face — to point toward
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a document
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — the season
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a line of people
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spring — of water

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