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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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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 · lie · bore · stand · net · wound · face · drill

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — army training
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — for catching
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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