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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · bear · bark · game · prune · land · chair · key

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rule — a law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. key — in music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — to come down
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — a country
  18. key — for a lock
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — to put up with

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