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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: craft · hand · perch · row · prune · trunk · cap · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. craft — boats
  4. rule — a law
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cap — of ice
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — a hat
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a line
  24. trunk — of a car

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