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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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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: bowl · band · pound · fan · court · staff · bore · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a ring
  3. staff — employees
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bore — to tire
  12. staff — a stick
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — of a king
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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