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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: foot · branch · snap · land · mug · chip · cell · kick

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to click
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — a division
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. kick — in football
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cell — in biology
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. land — a country
  24. kick — with a leg

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