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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: hand · lean · craft · root · prune · mug · arm · shower

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hand — help
  3. mug — a face
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mug — a cup
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — the cause
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — thin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mug — to rob
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. craft — boats
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. root — of a word
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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