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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 120 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: arm · kid · temple · pound · prune · board · charge · staff

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kid — child
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. charge — a price
  8. board — a committee
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — a stick
  14. prune — to trim
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — in control
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. charge — electricity
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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