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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: snap · key · shower · bore · bound · march · bulb · clip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — music
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. march — the month
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bulb — for light
  20. key — in music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. clip — for paper
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bore — gave birth

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