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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: cell · track · leaves · pop · rule · can · bark · hand

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — government
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — to shout
  9. track — a song
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — help
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pop — soda
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pop — music
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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