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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rule — a law
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — government
  8. bank — for money
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bank — for money
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bank — of a river

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