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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bowl · patient · bulb · rule · drill · clip · degree · nail

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. drill — army training
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — temperature
  10. drill — a practice
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — government
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bulb — for light
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. clip — a video
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bowl — to roll

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