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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: bore · club · snap · mine · bowl · object · staff · squash

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — a group
  5. object — a thing
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. staff — a stick
  10. snap — to click
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. object — to protest
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bore — to drill
  22. staff — employees
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. object — an aim

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