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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: shower · face · scale · arm · prune · ball · fan · trunk

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. face — to confront
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. face — part of the head
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a great time
  24. face — to point toward

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