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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 · squash · wound · stick · craft · rash · file · chair

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a line of people
  8. craft — boats
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — a law

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