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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: ruler · wound · bark · rule · mug · cap · file · wave

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a document
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mug — a face
  19. rule — government
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. file — a tool

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