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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: ruler · bark · tear · roll · fine · rule

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rule — a law
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rule — government
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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