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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: scale · fork · tear · craft · temple · cap · trunk · wake

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — boats
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tear — to rip
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fork — in a road
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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