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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: bear · rule · can · capital · lash · spring · shower · bore

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. capital — money
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rule — government
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bore — to drill
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — a city
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — rain
  23. rule — a law
  24. shower — to wash

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