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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 · rush · safe · lash · land · hand · content · rule

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — a country
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — help
  8. land — to come down
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. content — the amount
  18. land — ground
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rule — a law
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. safe — out of danger

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