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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: can · fork · staff · lie · bark · kid · capital · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — to shout
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — to recline
  7. kid — to tease
  8. capital — a city
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. capital — money
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bore — to tire

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