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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chip — for betting
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — thin
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a hint
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. scale — in music
  24. cue — a signal

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