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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 120 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 · dip · deal · court · craft · spring · row · band

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. dip — to sink
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. craft — boats
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — the season
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. court — of law
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — of water
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. deal — a big deal
  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