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

Word bank: bank · fork · drill · hide · chest · capital

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — for money
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chest — a box
  17. bank — for money
  18. drill — the tool

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