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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rest — what's left
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — a video
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rest — a break
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. spring — of water
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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