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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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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: lie · net · branch · land · season · snap · pitcher · kid

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. net — after costs
  9. land — ground
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. land — a country
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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