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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: capital · current · bore · rule · tear · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rule — a law
  3. current — of water
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. current — electric
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. content — the amount
  8. capital — a city
  9. tear — to rip
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. current — happening now
  12. bore — to tire
  13. capital — money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — government
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tear — from crying

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