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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: swing · spell · bark · squash · rest · date · rash · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. swing — to play on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. swing — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — 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