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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: field · prune · fall · game · bore · arm · trunk · chip

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — farmland
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bore — to tire
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fall — the season
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a match
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — for sport

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