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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 · swing · content · lie · field · branch · bear · roll

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. lie — to recline
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — a division
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. content — the amount
  14. roll — a list
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. swing — to play on
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. field — farmland
  22. roll — a cake
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a tree

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