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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: game · arm · pit · prune · foot · trunk · bore · chair

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bore — to tire
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — a match
  11. bore — to drill
  12. game — wild animals
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pit — a hole
  18. foot — a measure
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pit — in a race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

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