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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: bank · present · clip · sharp · staff · swing · arm · prune

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bank — for money
  8. swing — to play on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — there
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — a gift
  18. clip — for paper
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bank — of a river
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — the time now

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