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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bank — for money
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. capital — money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — to visit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pop — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a document
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — soda
  19. file — a tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — a stick

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