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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pass — a permit
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — to shout

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