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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — to drill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — rain
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rock — music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to tire
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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