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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rule · spring · ruler · fine · bark · chair

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fine — all right
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — the season
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spring — of water
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rule — a law

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