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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: key · clip · nail · field · lash · trunk · snap · racket

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — for a lock
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — farmland
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. field — a subject
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. clip — a video
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — for sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to click
  23. key — in music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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