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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: staff · plane · content · bore · toast · capital · drill · season

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. staff — employees
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. staff — a stick
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bore — to tire
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. content — the amount
  12. bore — to drill
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — a tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. toast — bread
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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