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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: trunk · roll · can · ball · rock · bore · capital · last

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. capital — a city
  4. last — final
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — to go on
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rock — music
  10. capital — money
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — finally
  15. roll — a list
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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