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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: bore · rush · cap · bark · land · racket · saw · mouse

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — to come down
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rush — hurry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bark — to shout
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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