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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 · pop · stand · fall · sharp · prune · spring · row

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — a line
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fall — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — of water
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — to trim

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