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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. snap — to click
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bore — to drill
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — a box
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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