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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: saw · lean · pitcher · can · fork · bank · tear · craft

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — boats
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — thin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bank — of a river

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