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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: prune · face · club · fork · chair · arm · saw · scale

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — size or range
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — for golf
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — to confront
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. saw — the tool

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