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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: squash · cabinet · craft · cold · bear · wake · scale · foot

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — boats
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. squash — to crush
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. foot — the bottom
  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