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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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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: prune · arm · march · board · stand · mine · sharp · net

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — in sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. march — music
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. board — a committee
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. march — the month

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