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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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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: clip · bore · ground · hide · ruler · pitcher · snap · lash

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to click
  6. clip — for paper
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — crushed

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