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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 · bank · bore · saw · tube · object · fan · mine

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bank — for money
  9. snap — to click
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bore — to drill
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tube — the underground
  19. object — an aim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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