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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: net · tear · bear · fine · swing · scale · craft · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fine — high quality
  3. swing — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — size or range
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fine — all right
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. scale — in music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — after costs

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