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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: file · scale · fine · branch · rest · drill · snap · craft

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — army training
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fine — high quality
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. scale — in music
  19. fine — all right
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a document
  22. drill — a practice
  23. craft — boats
  24. scale — size or range

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