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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: can · mine · stick · cap · wound · rest · racket · saw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — of ice
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — for digging
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rest — what's left

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