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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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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: nail · scale · cabinet · shower · kick · fork · tear · snap

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. scale — in music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kick — in football
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. tear — from crying
  13. snap — to click
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — size or range
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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