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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · mine · bore · leaves · cold · capital · mark · plane

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — to tire
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. plane — a tool
  12. capital — money
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rule — government
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rule — a law
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. plane — an aircraft

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