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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: board · row · cabinet · saw · degree · stem · rule · craft

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. board — a committee
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. craft — boats
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. craft — a skill
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — a line
  21. rule — government
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — the tool

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