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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: bark · hand · mate · tear · hide · rule · mouse · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a friend
  11. last — final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rule — a law
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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