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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 120 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 · bore · patient · lash · foot · row · rule · dip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to tire
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rule — a law
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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