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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: pop · bore · mine · wake · straw · rock · tube · capital

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pop — soda
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. capital — money
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — an explosive

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