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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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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: swing · cell · racket · straw · trunk · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — in biology
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. straw — dry grass

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