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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 116 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 · bulb · board · wound · content · chip · fan · bore

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. board — to get on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — the amount
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — a committee
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — for betting

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