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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · branch · tear · mate · bark · rule · content · season

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mate — a friend
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. branch — a division
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — the amount
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. content — happy
  24. season — to add flavour

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