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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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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: prune · bear · can · face · tear · perch · stick · kick

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — in football
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — part of the head
  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