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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: bark · hand · arm · pop · nail · cabinet · lie · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — soda
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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