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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 116 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: ball · clip · bore · snap · press · drill · band · prune

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to click
  5. clip — for paper
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a ring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ball — a great time
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bore — to drill
  17. band — a music group
  18. press — newspapers
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — a publisher

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