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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
468
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: object · bore · prune · foot · file · face · bear · spring

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. foot — a measure
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — of water
  13. face — to point toward
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — the animal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spring — the season

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