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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: bat · prune · ground · bore · capital · calf · mate · temple

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a city
  7. ground — a position
  8. capital — money
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — the fruit

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