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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 120 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: craft · deal · charge · rest · nail · tear · file · scale

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a skill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. deal — to handle
  12. charge — in control
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. charge — a price
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — boats

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