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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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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: club · rule · bowl · race · patient · fork · bark · coach

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — government
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. club — a group
  24. rule — to rule out

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