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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — to confront
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — government
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pound — for dogs
  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