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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wave · deal · fan · clip · net · spring

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. net — after costs
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — to handle
  9. clip — a video
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — the season
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. prune — to trim

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