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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: rule · cabinet · cold · cap · branch · bark · bay · wind

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rule — a law
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — government
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — not warm

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