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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: saw · ball · stem · scale · snap · sharp · hand · drill

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — help
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. scale — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. drill — a practice
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stem — to come from

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