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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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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: tube · board · chip · branch · degree · lie · mate · game

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tube — a container
  6. mate — a partner
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — to breed
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — to get on
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — a match
  20. board — a committee
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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