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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 116 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: rock · last · trunk · leaves · mouse · spring · snap · nail

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. last — final
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — a coil
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rock — to move gently

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