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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rule — government
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — a match
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — a law
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — moving air

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