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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: capital · chair · trunk · hide · band · stick · bore · racket

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — to drill
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — a city
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a music group
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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