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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: cold · safe · saw · snap · branch · roll · dip · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cold — an illness
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to click
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. roll — a list
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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