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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: field · press · hide · cap · mate · bore · nail · can

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mate — a friend
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — farmland
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. press — to push

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