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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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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: bulb · rest · date · straw · pass · prune · chest · arm

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — a break
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rest — what's left
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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