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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 · lash · bark · ground · rest · pass · wax · rule

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — crushed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — government
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ground — a position
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. pass — a permit

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