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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: roll · present · face · ground · straw · stick · prune · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — a gift
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. face — to confront
  9. present — the time now
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ground — a position
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. present — there
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. roll — a list
  21. rush — hurry
  22. face — to point toward
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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