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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 116 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: patient · bowl · file · shower · rash · bore · snap · clip

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — for paper
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. clip — a video
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bore — to drill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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