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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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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: coach · squash · roll · dip · spring · swing · bass · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. squash — to crush
  7. roll — a cake
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. dip — to sink
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. roll — a list
  18. swing — music
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spring — the season
  24. snap — to click

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