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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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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: arm · pop · prune · bore · plane · trunk · object · can

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pop — soda
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. object — a thing
  16. pop — music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. can — to be able to
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. object — to protest
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. object — an aim

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