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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: prune · pop · saw · staff · net · mouse · arm · trunk

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — soda
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — for catching

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