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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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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: snap · bound · temple · pitch · wind · hide · bore · capital

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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