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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · bore · mine · spring · dip · face · kick · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. face — to confront
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — a coil
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. face — to point toward

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