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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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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: bore · arm · spring · ruler · face · trunk · fork · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — of water
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — part of the head
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spring — a coil
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bore — to drill
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. arm — part of the body

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