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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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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: pit · scale · bore · present · tear · capital · temple · craft

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. craft — boats
  9. present — the time now
  10. scale — in music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. craft — a skill
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pit — a hole
  19. present — there
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — size or range
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pit — in a race
  24. capital — a city

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