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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: prune · press · kick · date · mark · wave · bark · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — in football
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rule — a law
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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