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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: suit · mine · land · bark · bear · rule · track · pass

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — ground
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. suit — in cards
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — to come down
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. land — a country
  23. suit — clothes
  24. 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