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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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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: prune · arm · chest · bark · stem · cabinet · toast · straw

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stem — to come from
  3. toast — bread
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — to shout

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