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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.

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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: bark · deal · ball · patient · mate · rule · spell · kid

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rule — a law
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — magic
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spell — letters
  24. rule — government

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