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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: tear · capital · jam · bore · board · stand · straw · pound

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bore — to drill
  5. board — to get on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. capital — money
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. capital — a city
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pound — a weight
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — dry grass

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