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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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468
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: tear · tube · bark · row · leaves · mouse · rule · cabinet

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — the underground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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