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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: drill · saw · trunk · lash · hand · bear · snap · field

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — army training
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. field — farmland
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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