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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 120 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: rule · bark · chest · branch · present · march

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — a law
  4. chest — a box
  5. present — the time now
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. bark — to shout
  9. march — the month
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — music
  12. rule — government
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a bank

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