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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: stand · cabinet · trunk · prune · mine · face · mug · foot

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. face — part of the head
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mug — a face
  10. face — to confront
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — for digging
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — to bear
  24. foot — part of the body

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