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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · bear · craft · tear · fine · staff · cabinet · scale

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fine — high quality
  5. band — a ring
  6. tear — to rip
  7. band — a music group
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — all right
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. tear — from crying
  24. craft — boats

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