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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: prune · swing · board · race · arm · press · wax · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. race — humankind
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. swing — music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — to push
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. swing — to play on

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