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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.

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: tear · pit · face · roll · prune · spell · mate · game

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. face — part of the head
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — a cake
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mate — a partner
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — to confront
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — to trim

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