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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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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: prune · ruler · arm · staff · race · field · lean · march

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. lean — thin
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. race — a contest
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. field — a subject
  24. arm — part of the 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