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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: plane · wind · jam · arm · pound · prune · cabinet · lash

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — moving air

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