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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: face · wake · firm · branch · pitch · perch · deal · prune

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — a trail
  7. firm — a company
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — part of the head
  11. perch — the fish
  12. face — to confront
  13. firm — decided
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to point toward
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. firm — steady

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