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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 · nail · toast · face · calf · row · trunk · snap

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — to confront
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. swing — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. face — part of the head
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to click
  19. face — to point toward
  20. toast — bread
  21. row — a line
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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