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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — to eat
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rule — government
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. stem — of a plant
  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