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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: drill · dip · patient · roll · bark · season · pound · rule

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — a law
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — a practice
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. season — in sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bark — to shout
  23. drill — army training
  24. pound — to hit hard

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