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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: shower · clip · mug · cell · march · bore · fan · ball

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bore — to drill
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bore — to tire
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — a video
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. clip — to cut

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