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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: prune · field · current · squash · safe · snap · pass · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — a permit
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — a subject
  11. swing — to play on
  12. current — electric
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to click
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — for sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — music
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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