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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: saw · cell · suit · temple · capital · cold · bound · bore

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — in biology
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — money
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. capital — a city
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bore — to tire
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — certain
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — obliged
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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