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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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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: last · tear · scale · season · craft · snap · chest · ruler

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. scale — in music
  5. craft — boats
  6. last — to go on
  7. snap — to click
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — of the year
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chest — a box
  14. tear — to rip
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — final
  22. craft — a skill
  23. season — in sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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