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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: rule · bore · fork · perch · land · chip · dip · patient

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bore — to tire
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to drill
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fork — in a road
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rule — a law

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