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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: patient · rock · craft · current · hand · rule · tear · spell

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. rule — a law
  2. current — of water
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. craft — a skill
  8. current — happening now
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — government
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. current — electric
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — in cards
  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