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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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468
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: craft · snap · squash · bulb · swing · club · branch · ground

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. club — for golf
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — to play on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — a position
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. snap — to click
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ground — crushed
  12. swing — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — in golf
  22. craft — a skill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — for dancing

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