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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: drill · net · saw · capital · bore · stand · patient · rule

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — in sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — after costs
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. net — for catching

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