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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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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: rash · arm · prune · band · straw · chest · ruler · saw

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — a box
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. saw — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. band — a ring

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