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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: saw · mug · straw · capital · wind · bore · rule · dip

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — a city
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mug — a cup
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — dry grass

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