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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: root · perch · chip · wax · prune · clip · foot · face

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a word
  4. face — to point toward
  5. root — the cause
  6. perch — the fish
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — a video
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — of a plant
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chip — to eat
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chip — for betting
  24. clip — to cut

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