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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · tear · bore · bay · kid · capital

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — a committee
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kid — child
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — money
  12. tear — from crying
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bay — a horse colour

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