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

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. bore — to tire
  17. object — a thing
  18. band — a ring
  19. snap — to click
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — the season
  22. band — a music group
  23. spring — of water
  24. tube — the underground

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