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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: board · bear · bore · wave · capital · leaves · rush · game

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — a match
  4. board — to get on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rush — hurry
  8. capital — money
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — a city
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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