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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: chip · snap · lie · straw · fork · spring · trunk · face

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — of water
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chip — for betting
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — to confront
  24. trunk — of a car

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