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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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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 · squash · tube · snap · mouse · racket · mark · wind

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. swing — music

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