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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: pop · trunk · arm · suit · wound · hide · court · prune

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. suit — clothes
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — music
  24. court — for sport

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