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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: swing · wake · spring · snap · clip · cue · fall · branch

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cue — for pool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spring — the season
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — a signal
  17. snap — to click
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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