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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: mine · prune · face · bank · can · lie · degree · wound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to confront
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — to be able to
  8. face — to point toward
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — to recline
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — an untruth

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