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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 120 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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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: fork · spell · saw · rule · fall · wind · leaves · craft

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — government
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — boats
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fork — in a road
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — the season

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