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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — to shout
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ground — a position
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rule — a law
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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