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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: arm · prune · fine · firm · club · trunk · face · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fine — high quality
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. club — a group
  15. firm — a company
  16. fine — all right
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — a subject
  19. face — to confront
  20. field — for sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — farmland

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