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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: arm · pound · rest · pop · deal · plane · date · trunk

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — to handle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rest — a break
  19. plane — a tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pound — for dogs

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