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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: game · bank · arm · prune · deal · mate · ground · fall

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — to handle
  4. game — a match
  5. ground — a position
  6. mate — a friend
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — the earth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fall — to drop

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