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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 120 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 · rule · ruler · fan · cold · lash · stem · scale

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. scale — in music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rule — government
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — a law
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fan — a supporter

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