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

Word bank: clip · bay · degree · lie · bowl · prune · snap · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to drill
  8. degree — an amount
  9. clip — for paper
  10. degree — temperature
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — to tire

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