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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: rush · wind · cell · rule · plane · last

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. last — finally
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rule — a law
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. cell — a phone

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