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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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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: bark · trunk · deal · snap · chest · board · swing · wake

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — in golf
  3. snap — to click
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chest — a box
  8. bark — to shout
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. board — to get on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — of your body

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