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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · bark · bore · capital · rest · land · safe · file

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bore — to drill
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a document
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — a country
  10. file — a tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — to shout
  14. capital — a city
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — in music
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bore — to tire
  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