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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · saw · fall · can · date · craft · chest · scale

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — boats
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

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