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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: band · capital · wake · hand · row · cabinet · roll · bore

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. row — to paddle
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. capital — money
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. band — a music group
  21. capital — a city
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — part of the body

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