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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · bear · prune · arm · present · lash · field · staff

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of law
  8. field — farmland
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — for sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of a king
  14. staff — a stick
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. present — there

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