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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: squash · lash · stick · calf · snap · lean · branch · content

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lean — to bend
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — thin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a bank

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