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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: toast · snap · wake · swing · pit · bowl · branch · land

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. swing — in golf
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. land — a country
  11. swing — to play on
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. branch — a division
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — to come down
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. swing — music
  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