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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 120 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: bay · mine · bulb · field · bore · capital · drill · spell

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spell — a short time
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — money
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — for sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — a subject
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. field — farmland
  22. spell — letters
  23. drill — army training
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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