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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: leaves · bowl · rest · rule · bark · kid · rush · band

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. kid — child
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — a law
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. rule — government
  24. rush — hurry

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