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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: tube · hide · present · capital · cabinet · nail · shower · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. present — there
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — rain
  14. present — the time now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. capital — money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — a gift
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tube — in a tire

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