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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: stick · mouse · pass · chest · capital · bore · present · spring

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. present — a gift
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — a permit
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. present — there
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — the season
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spring — of water
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — the time now
  24. mouse — the animal

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