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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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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: temple · capital · object · fall · root · bore · file · cell

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. capital — a city
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. file — a tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a document
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. capital — money
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. object — to protest
  23. fall — the season
  24. temple — side of the head

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