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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: date · rush · mug · bear · bark · rule

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rush — hurry
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. mug — a face
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bear — the animal

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