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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: mark · root · rash · last · clip · branch · face · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — a series
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — to point toward
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rash — hasty
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — a division
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. clip — to cut
  19. last — finally
  20. root — of a word
  21. mark — a trace
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — of a tree

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