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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.

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: staff · hide · degree · prune · temple · rash · clip · arm

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — from a university
  6. clip — to cut
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — hasty
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — employees

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