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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: snap · land · branch · kid · kick · rest · perch · bay

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — a division
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. kick — in football
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. land — to come down
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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