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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: sharp · hand · arm · lean · pound · march · key · prune

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — the month
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — help
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — thin
  23. pound — a weight
  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