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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: pit · cold · capital · march · fan · wave · bound · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cold — an illness
  18. capital — money
  19. march — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bound — certain

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