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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: degree · fan · last · fall · can · fork · scale · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. last — final
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. last — to go on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — in music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — boats
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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