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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 116 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: craft · bore · hand · chair · coach · present · nail · mine

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — in cards
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — a gift
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hand — help
  22. present — there
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chair — a leader

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