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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: sharp · arm · chest · fine · spring · firm · ground · prune

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. firm — steady
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fine — all right
  9. ground — the earth
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — a position
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. chest — a box
  18. firm — decided
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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