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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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468
Word bank
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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — government
  5. rash — a series
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — all right
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — to rule out

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