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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: row · wind · deal · trunk · firm · rule

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rule — government
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. firm — steady
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. firm — a company
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. row — a quarrel

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