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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: fork · row · lash · bark · mine · cue · rule · bank

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mine — for digging
  9. row — a line
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — a law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fork — in a road

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