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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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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: sharp · branch · bound · swing · squash · chest · clip · can

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bound — obliged
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. bound — certain
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. clip — a video
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. can — a tin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. can — a tin

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