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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — soda
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pop — music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spring — of water
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — to lash out

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