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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · bore · bulb · clip · fan · saw · kick · snap

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. snap — to click
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. present — there
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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