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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · mate · clip · last · trunk · snap · face · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — part of the head
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mate — to breed
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. face — to point toward
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — to go 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