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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — a division
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — a gift
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bore — to tire
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. cell — a phone
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — to sink

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