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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: prune · bat · bore · bank · season · sharp · chair · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — of the year
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bank — for money
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — in sport

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