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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: last · swing · rush · content · fan · rule · branch · bark

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — finally
  4. content — happy
  5. last — to go on
  6. rule — a law
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — a division
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rush — a thrill

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