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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: rule · drill · hand · patient · bowl · current · land · perch

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — a law
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rule — government
  12. drill — the tool
  13. land — a country
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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