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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · plane · straw · track · fork · object · saw · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. track — a song
  5. object — an aim
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. object — to protest
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. last — final
  11. plane — a tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. object — a thing
  17. scale — in music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — finally
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. track — a path

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