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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: fine · file · bark · bound · wax · rule · tear · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. bark — to shout
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rule — government
  11. file — a tool
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fine — all right
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — in the ear

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