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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bore — to drill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pop — to visit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. chest — a box
  15. band — a music group
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pop — soda
  20. branch — a division
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — a series
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pop — music

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