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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 · last · fan · chip · roll · tear · pitcher · craft

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tear — to rip
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. roll — a list
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — boats
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — to go on
  24. chip — to eat

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