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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 116 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: scale · craft · hand · wake · nail · chair · rash · ball

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — boats
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. scale — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hand — in cards
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rash — hasty

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