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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: pass · tear · can · lash · craft · snap · scale · race

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pass — a permit
  3. craft — boats
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a skill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — to rip
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — humankind
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pass — to succeed

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