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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: nail · stock · bark · rule · fan · spell · leaves · file

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — to shout
  10. file — a document
  11. rule — government
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rule — a law
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stock — goods
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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