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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: ground · saw · leaves · fall · pop · arm · spring · prune

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — the season
  9. ground — the earth
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pop — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — of water
  21. ground — a position
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — to go away

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