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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · coach · rule · bore · capital · rest

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. 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. rule — government
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. 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