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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: snap · clip · trunk · staff · nail · wind · bore · track

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. track — to keep track
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — a stick
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to click
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — a video
  24. trunk — of a tree

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