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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: bore · craft · net · fall · last · rule · bark · spell

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — after costs
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spell — letters
  7. last — finally
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rule — a law
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — boats
  16. spell — magic
  17. last — to go on
  18. bore — to drill
  19. net — in sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — for catching
  22. rule — government
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fall — to drop

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