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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: wound · prune · fall · stick · present · game · ruler · arm

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — there
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fall — the season
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — the time now

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