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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: foot · land · snap · row · bulb · board · bore · ruler

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a line
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — ground
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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