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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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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rule — a law
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — for catching
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — a hat
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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