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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: capital · stand · bound · bore · calf · chest · file · hand

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — help
  4. capital — money
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — a box
  12. bound — certain
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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