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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · march · object · bowl · prune · stem · can · field

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. can — to be able to
  7. object — an aim
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. field — farmland
  10. object — a thing
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — for sport
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — a subject
  22. prune — to trim
  23. object — to protest
  24. march — music

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