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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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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 · fork · craft · plane · wound · arm · drill · lash

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rule — a law
  4. drill — army training
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fork — in a road
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rule — government
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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