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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 120 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: pitcher · ground · saw · bear · fall · craft · net · scale

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — a position
  5. net — for catching
  6. scale — in music
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fall — the season
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — size or range
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — for weighing

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