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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — to protest
  20. rule — a law
  21. object — an aim
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. object — a thing
  24. pass — to spend time

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