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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: arm · deal · prune · temple · suit · clip · shower · race

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — a contest
  3. suit — to fit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. suit — clothes
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — in cards
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. prune — to trim
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. deal — an agreement

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