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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rule — a law
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rule — government
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wave — of the sea

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