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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: squash · branch · pass · field · snap · rock · can · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. field — for sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — not warm
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rock — a stone
  12. snap — to click
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pass — a permit
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. can — a tin

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