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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: mine · rule · hand · craft · fork · cell · suit · row

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — help
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — to fit
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rule — government
  20. row — a line
  21. cell — a phone
  22. craft — boats
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. craft — a skill

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