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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: rule · craft · file · rest · wax · tear · lie · spell

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rule — a law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rule — government
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spell — magic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — an untruth

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