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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: stock · hand · rule · bark · pass · bear · date · march

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rule — a law
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stock — goods
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — help
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hand — part of the body

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