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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: prune · face · deal · roll · cue · last · chest · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cue — for pool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bore — to tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bore — to drill
  10. roll — a list
  11. last — finally
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — to confront
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cue — a signal
  24. deal — a big deal

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