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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 · kid · racket

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chip — for betting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lie — to recline
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — to tease
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — ground
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. land — a country
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — a division
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — for light

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