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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 · cold · wake · root · craft · fork · plane · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wake — a trail
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rule — a law
  9. root — of a word
  10. plane — a tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rule — government
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. craft — boats
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — a skill
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fork — in a road

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