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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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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: pound · foot · bore · capital · mate · rock · wind · rush

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — money
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rock — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — hurry
  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