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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: rule · date · fan · drill · staff · fall · rush · craft

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fall — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — government
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — the tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. date — the fruit
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — to hurry

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