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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: snap · bat · mug · swing · pitch · bark · wind · bulb

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mug — a face
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bulb — for light

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