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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: mug · face · foot · roll · net · prune · bound · club

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. prune — to trim
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — tied together
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. club — for golf
  10. mug — a cup
  11. club — a group
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — for dancing
  15. net — in sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. roll — a cake
  20. foot — a measure
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bound — obliged
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mug — a face

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