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

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cell — in biology
  7. snap — to click
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cell — a phone
  10. object — an aim
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mark — a grade
  14. object — to protest
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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