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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 · face · can · lash · sharp · bass · bark · branch

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rule — a law
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. face — to point toward
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — to shout
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. rule — government
  17. face — to confront
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. sharp — clever

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