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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · trunk · face · field · pass · leaves · wake · chair

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. face — part of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — a subject
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — a leader
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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