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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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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 · present · tear · cap · land · capital · board · straw

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — a committee
  7. present — the time now
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. land — ground
  11. present — there
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. land — a country
  15. capital — a city
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. present — a gift

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