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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: chip · branch · scale · saw · row · kick · face · kid

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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. scale — size or range
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kick — in football
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — to tease
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — in a computer

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