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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: pop · drill · bore · bark · safe · capital · date · pass

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a city
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — to tire
  24. date — on the calendar

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