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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rule — government
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — a series
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. row — a line

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