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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: lie · scale · calf · fork · craft · tube · wound · game

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — size or range
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — boats
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fork — in a road
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. scale — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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