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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 · ruler · vault · drill · land · bore · capital

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. vault — a safe
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. land — a country
  21. fork — in a road
  22. can — a tin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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