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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: racket · prune · nail · club · arm · wound · calf · bat

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. club — for golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. club — a group
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — to trim
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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