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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: mark · roll · craft · land · rule · wake · mug · clip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mark — a trace
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. mug — to rob
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — boats
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mug — a face
  21. land — ground
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rule — government

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