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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.

Words on the sheet
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: craft · coach · degree · prune · wax · arm · bore · chest

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — boats
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bore — to drill
  11. degree — an amount
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. degree — temperature
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chest — a box
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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