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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: craft · arm · sharp · rule · prune · leaves · degree · season

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — boats
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — of the year
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — in sport
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. leaves — of a tree

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