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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: spring · court · bark · cabinet · net · chip · ruler · rash

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — of law
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — for sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chip — for betting
  17. net — for catching
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — of a tree

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