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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 120 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: trunk · nail · snap · arm · rule · spell · band · perch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — letters
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rule — a law
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — government
  7. band — a music group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spell — a short time
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — magic
  23. snap — to click
  24. rule — to rule out

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