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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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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: fine · snap · tear · craft · straw · fan · content · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. craft — boats
  14. fine — all right
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tear — to rip
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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