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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: sharp · board · foot · cell · face · pound · prune · date

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. foot — a measure
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. board — a committee
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pound — a weight

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