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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 120 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 · ball · staff · bore · snap · trunk · perch · content

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to click
  3. bore — to drill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — a stick
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. bore — to tire
  18. content — the amount
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. staff — employees

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