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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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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: face · bass · kid · branch · chip · present · squash · lash

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. chip — for betting
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — child
  16. bass — low music
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. present — a gift

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