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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 116 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: capital · bay · tube · cabinet · tear · ground · pitcher · drill

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — to rip
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tube — a container
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — a city
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — a position
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — from crying

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