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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: march · fan · snap · bore · jam · bark · chest · spring

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — of water
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chest — a box
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spring — a coil
  24. snap — to click

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