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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. date — the fruit
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. snap — to click
  7. bound — certain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a music group
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rule — government
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rule — a law
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — goods
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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