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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: capital · bank · file · bore · temple · snap · kid · bark

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a line of people
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bore — to drill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. file — a document
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — child
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a tool

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