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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 · shower · bark · plane · arm · chest · wind · rest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chest — of your body
  3. shower — rain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rule — a law
  15. chest — a box
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — government
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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