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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.

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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: suit · arm · net · chest · land · prune · sharp · wake

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. land — to come down
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — clever
  7. suit — in cards
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — a box
  14. land — ground
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. suit — clothes
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chest — of your 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