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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: bowl · prune · mark · face · foot · mug · clip · branch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — part of the head
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. face — to confront
  6. clip — a video
  7. mug — to rob
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. clip — for paper
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mug — a face
  24. mark — a trace

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