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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 · bark · roll · mouse · hide · branch · racket · land

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. roll — a cake
  5. land — to come down
  6. rule — a law
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. roll — a list
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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