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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 · rock · rule · land · season · temple · bark · rest

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. suit — to fit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. land — ground
  12. suit — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rule — a law
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — what's left

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