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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: saw · chest · craft · rest · race · mug · bore · prune

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a face
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rest — a break
  7. craft — boats
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  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