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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 120 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: degree · trunk · wake · bound · rush · capital · bore · face

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bore — to tire
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — money
  10. face — to confront
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. capital — a city
  16. bound — tied together
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — from a university
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bound — obliged

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