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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 120 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: mug · rule · spring · land · bowl · mate · rock · bark

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rule — government
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — a country
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — a face

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