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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chest — a box
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rule — government
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — a division
  15. rule — a law
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stock — goods

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