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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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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: rule · lash · bark · fork · spring · dip · wind · net

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spring — of water
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. net — in sport

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