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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 · fan · craft · firm · saw · spring · current · tear

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. firm — steady
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rule — government
  6. tear — to rip
  7. firm — decided
  8. rule — a law
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. craft — boats
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. saw — the tool
  16. current — of water
  17. craft — a skill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fan — a supporter

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