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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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468
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: calf · pit · lie · face · prune · clip · branch · bat

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. branch — a division
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. clip — a video
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — in a race
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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