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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: spell · deal · net · track · wound · mate · rule · craft

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rule — government
  5. craft — boats
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — letters
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — a path
  17. net — in sport
  18. craft — a skill
  19. net — for catching
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — to keep track
  24. net — after costs

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