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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 116 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: kid · leaves · capital · field · mate · rock · hide · bore

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — child
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — to tire
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rock — a stone
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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