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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
468
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: patient · rule · bark · file · capital · spring · fine · lash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. rule — a law
  7. spring — a coil
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — the season
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — all right
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fine — high quality

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