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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: chest · arm · prune · snap · craft · ball · hand · cap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — help
  9. cap — of ice
  10. snap — to click
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. chest — a box
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — boats

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