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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · bass · snap · arm · prune · jam · firm · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. firm — a company
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. firm — steady
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. field — a subject
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. snap — to click
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. prune — the fruit

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