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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: nail · date · band · club · arm · content · prune · lean

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — thin
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. date — the fruit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a ring
  11. club — for golf
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a music group
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. content — happy
  20. lean — to bend
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. arm — part of the body

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