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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: trunk · snap · rock · swing · row · wake · nail · lash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — music
  20. rock — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — in golf

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