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

Word bank: arm · chair · prune · racket · pop · club · last · wave

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — finally
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — final
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — a group
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — soda
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pop — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — a leader
  24. club — for golf

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