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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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468
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: rule · capital · fork · bark · track · nail · drill · hide

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — money
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rule — government
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — to rule out

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