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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · wound · bear · march · trunk · prune · fine · arm

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. game — a match
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. prune — to trim

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