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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: root · face · clip · prune · perch · bowl · lash · pit

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. perch — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — the cause
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — for paper
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. root — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. perch — for a bird

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