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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: pound · bore · bulb · file · chair · face · capital · calf

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. face — to confront
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a line of people
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. face — to point toward
  20. file — a document
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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