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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · net · nail · rule · wind · spell · date · trunk

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rule — a law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. craft — boats
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. net — after costs
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. craft — a skill
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — magic

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