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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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468
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 · swing · temple · coach · saw · prune · dip · degree

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — a box
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — in golf
  12. degree — from a university
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chest — of your body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — to play on
  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