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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: hand · mouse · rule · dip · board · trunk · spell · spring

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — to get on
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. dip — to sink
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — a committee
  13. rule — government
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — of water

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