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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: bark · pop · key · ground · last · pass · plane · rule

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ground — a position
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. key — in music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — crushed
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. last — final

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