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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — hurry
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — the underground
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — a series
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. swing — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — a container
  24. rule — government

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