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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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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: jam · craft · hide · fall · scale · chip · fork · tear

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — in a road
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. craft — boats
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fall — the season
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tear — to rip
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. chip — to eat

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