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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: arm · bore · prune · last · racket · fine · spring · ground

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — the season
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. last — final
  16. bore — to drill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — crushed
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. last — to go on

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