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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: date · prune · degree · lash · snap · squash · swing · mark

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. swing — to play on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to click
  11. degree — temperature
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — an amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mark — a grade
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. prune — the fruit

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