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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.

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: wake · capital · hide · date · bass · dip · kid · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wake — a trail
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. capital — a city
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — money
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bass — low music

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