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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: mark · arm · prune · club · nail · last · foot · root

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — a trace
  6. foot — a measure
  7. root — of a plant
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — the cause
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. club — for dancing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. club — for golf

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