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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.

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 · capital · temple · track · hand · mark · bay · prune

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — money
  4. bore — to drill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — a city
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — help
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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