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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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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 · mouse · trunk · last · bat · lash · drill · hand

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. last — final
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. last — finally
  24. lash — to lash 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