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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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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: cell · pitcher · fork · saw · foot · craft · fall · cabinet

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fall — the season
  5. fork — in a road
  6. craft — boats
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cell — in biology
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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