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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: chest · snap · craft · cabinet · trunk · drill · mouse · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — a box
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — army training
  14. craft — boats
  15. swing — music
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  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