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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: row · clip · trunk · face · roll · lash · nail · tube

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — to point toward
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. face — to confront
  18. row — to paddle
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. clip — a video
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — for paper
  24. face — part of the head

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