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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: leaves · rule · pitcher · mate · cell · bark · bass · rush

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bass — low music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rule — government
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — to breed

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