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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: lie · branch · game · sharp · prune · arm · row · bear

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bear — the animal
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — a division
  14. game — a match
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — clever
  19. game — wild animals
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. row — a line
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. branch — of a bank

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