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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: bulb · scale · snap · chest · chip · trunk · racket · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chip — to eat
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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