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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.

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: bore · patient · land · bark · race · squash · drill · roll

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. race — a contest
  3. drill — army training
  4. squash — the sport
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — humankind
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — a list
  11. bore — to tire
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — the arms race
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — to drill

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