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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: squash · rule · bulb · sharp · patient · hand · deal · craft

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — to crush
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. squash — the sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bulb — for light
  24. squash — the vegetable

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