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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: drill · nail · cabinet · net · craft · scale · rush · tear

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. net — after costs
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cabinet — ministers

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