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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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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: mouse · rest · cap · bore · present · pitcher · stem · kid

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cap — a hat
  6. present — a gift
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cap — of ice

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