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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: hide · saw · chest · bore · racket · cap · prune · present

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — to drill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — there
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. present — the time now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. present — a gift
  24. saw — the tool

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