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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 120 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: branch · ground · foot · track · calf · trunk · prune · face

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — a path
  3. ground — crushed
  4. branch — a division
  5. ground — the earth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. foot — a measure
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. face — part of the head
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. track — to keep track
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. face — to confront
  24. track — a song

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