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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. land — ground
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. bore — to tire
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — the time now
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — obliged
  15. current — electric
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. current — of water
  19. bound — tied together
  20. capital — a city
  21. current — happening now
  22. present — there
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. roll — on a roll

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