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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. rule — government
  2. object — a thing
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bark — to shout
  5. object — an aim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — of a tree
  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