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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 116 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: bark · stock · tear · spring · rule · chair · lie · board

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — goods
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. spring — of water
  6. board — a committee
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. board — to get on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — government
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rule — a law
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stock — shares

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