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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 · saw · content · bank · kid · stock · temple · bore

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. capital — money
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bank — for money
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — child
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bank — for money
  24. content — happy

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