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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 120 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: staff · saw · key · hand · board · bore · capital · fall

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hand — help
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a committee
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — in music
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a city

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