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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: mouse · rule · land · fall · mug · trunk · tear · craft

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fall — to drop
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — boats
  9. fall — the season
  10. rule — a law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — ground
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. mug — a face
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mug — to rob
  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