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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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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: saw · bear · craft · snap · prune · coach · wind · drill

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wind — moving air
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. craft — boats
  16. wind — moving air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — a practice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bear — to put up with

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