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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: face · court · pound · chip · branch · prune · spring · wax

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — the season
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — for betting
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. spring — of water
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — to point toward
  24. prune — the fruit

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