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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 · deal · nail · trunk · mouse · scale · wind · game

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. scale — in music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a match
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — size or range
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rule — government

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