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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: field · rule · bark · ruler · spell · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — for sport
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. field — a subject
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. field — farmland
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spell — magic
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. ruler — for measuring

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