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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: cap · saw · present · kid · bore · pitch · spring · plane

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. present — there
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. present — the time now
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — the tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — of water

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