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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: game · lie · swing · pitcher · squash · snap · branch · staff

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — a division
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. swing — in golf
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lie — to recline
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. swing — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — the sport
  21. game — a match
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — wild animals

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