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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: scale · fan · bear · prune · staff · bore · chair · clip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. scale — in music
  12. clip — a video
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bore — to tire
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — to sit 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