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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: date · straw · nail · bark · saw · snap · face · racket

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — the fruit
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — to shout
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. snap — to click

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