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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. object — an aim
  3. rule — government
  4. wound — an injury
  5. object — to protest
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rule — a law
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — a thing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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