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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: sharp · rush · cell · craft · present · dip · scale · tube

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — in music
  3. present — the time now
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — there
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cell — a phone
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — in biology

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