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

Word bank: leaves · bowl · rest · rule · bark · kid

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rule — government
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rule — a law
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — a break
  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