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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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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 · shower · ground · calf · object · prune · sharp · rule

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ground — a position
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rule — government
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — a law
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. shower — rain
  22. ground — the earth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — to trim

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