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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: press · row · bore · last · jam · bark · nail · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bore — to drill
  6. press — to push
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. capital — money
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bore — to tire
  19. capital — a city
  20. row — to paddle
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — final
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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