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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: snap · kick · squash · roll · cold · branch · swing · pound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. squash — to crush
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — a weight
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — a division
  10. snap — to click
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cold — an illness
  14. roll — a cake
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. roll — a list
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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