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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: current · squash · bore · perch · mine · capital · bound · present

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. present — a gift
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — the time now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — of water
  9. present — there
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — tied together
  17. squash — to crush
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — a city
  20. bore — to tire
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — money
  23. current — happening now
  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