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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 120 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: fall · scale · mark · squash · cabinet · wave · fork · hand

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — in music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — in a road
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. scale — size or range

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