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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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Word bank
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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: land · lie · clip · branch · chip · bulb

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. land — to come down
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. clip — a video
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chip — in a computer

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