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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: sharp · rule · land · mine · bark · hand · stand · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stand — to bear
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. land — to come down
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — government
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. land — a country
  13. hand — help
  14. land — ground
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — a law
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bark — to shout

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