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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: drill · bore · capital · shower · can · mouse · mate · swing

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bore — to tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — a city
  19. swing — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. capital — money
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — in golf
  24. can — to be able to

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