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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · chair · hand · bore · straw · snap · board · bulb

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. board — a committee
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — to get on

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