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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: wake · wave · bore · snap · squash · press · cold · swing

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. snap — to click
  4. swing — to play on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. swing — music
  7. bore — to tire
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — to drill
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — with your hand
  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