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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: mate · swing · current · calf · chest · fan · trunk · snap

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chest — of your body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — of water
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. swing — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. swing — to play on
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — a box
  20. mate — to breed
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. swing — in golf
  23. snap — to click
  24. calf — of the leg

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