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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — to shout
  22. band — a ring
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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