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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 116 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: squash · stick · lash · chair · branch · snap · current · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. snap — to click
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a leader
  14. current — happening now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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