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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: clip · prune · arm · mug · net · current · trunk · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. clip — to cut
  4. net — for catching
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. current — electric
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — for paper
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chest — a box
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. arm — a part of something

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