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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: ground · snap · bore · date · rock · hand · wake · ball

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. snap — to click
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ground — a position
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rock — a stone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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