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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: squash · root · face · lie · prune · wax · saw · pitcher

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — to grow
  17. squash — the sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — the tool

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