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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: bark · rule · tube · coach · degree · leaves · sharp · roll

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tube — a container
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. roll — a cake
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — government
  24. sharp — exactly

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