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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — a cup
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — to go on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. mug — a face
  20. rest — a break
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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