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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: wake · rule · snap · ground · craft · sharp · stick · scale

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ground — the earth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ground — a position
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — in music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. craft — boats
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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