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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: chair · prune · game · can · wake · mine · face · firm

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — to confront
  10. firm — a company
  11. game — a match
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. firm — steady
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. firm — decided
  24. wake — before a funeral

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