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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 · foot · pop · prune · deal · clip · fork · trunk

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fork — in a road
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. arm — a part of something

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