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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.

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: bore · saw · cap · capital · tube · wound · cold · coach

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. capital — a city
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — money
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cap — a lid
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bore — to tire
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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