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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: arm · prune · march · press · hand · race · saw · bark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — to push
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. race — humankind
  24. march — the month

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