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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: mine · date · stand · rule · stick · track · nail · bark

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bark — to shout
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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