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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: bore · snap · dip · band · ball · prune · clip · kick

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to drill
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. band — a music group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. dip — to sink
  19. kick — in football
  20. clip — a video
  21. bore — to tire
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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