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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: arm · stock · straw · prune · bank · bound · hide · wind

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bank — for money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. bank — for money
  23. arm — a part of something
  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