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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: rule · wake · lean · bass · tear · bark · net · tube

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tube — a container
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lean — thin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — after costs
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bass — low music
  19. rule — government
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bass — the instrument

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