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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 · prune · field · branch · bark · craft · fall · face

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mug — to rob
  18. craft — boats
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — a division
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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