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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: bear · chest · prune · march · fine · wave · staff · arm

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. staff — employees
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chest — a box
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — all right
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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