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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: craft · race · drill · snap · stand · scale · foot · band

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. race — humankind
  6. drill — a practice
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — size or range
  13. snap — to click
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stand — to bear
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — a skill
  19. scale — in music
  20. craft — boats
  21. drill — army training
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. foot — the bottom

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