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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: snap · craft · land · wake · toast · rest · scale · mine

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. craft — boats
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — to come down
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. toast — bread
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. land — ground
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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