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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.

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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: capital · wax · bore · spell · drill · bound · chair · tear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — certain
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chair — to sit on

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