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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: shower · spell · fine · craft · chair · spring · rule · leaves

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — a short time
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — a law
  17. spring — the season
  18. craft — a skill
  19. spell — magic
  20. shower — rain
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. craft — boats

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