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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — the season
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rule — a law
  17. club — a group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — government
  24. club — for dancing

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