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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · snap · chip · branch · hide · season · kick · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to click
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. land — a country
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — in football
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mug — a face
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — for betting
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chip — to eat
  24. kick — a thrill

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