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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: prune · face · foot · swing · mouse · net · snap · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to point toward
  15. net — in sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mouse — the animal

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