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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 116 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: rush · wind · craft · pass · hand · bass · bore · rule

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rule — a law
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. rule — government
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wind — moving air

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