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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. season — in sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. present — the time now
  8. chest — a box
  9. rule — government
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — there
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. present — a gift

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