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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: staff · fall · bay · race · suit · arm · hand · prune

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — clothes
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. staff — employees
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. suit — to fit
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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