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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mark — a trace
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — a law
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kid — child
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — a break
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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