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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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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: branch · sharp · chip · season · snap · scale · bat · craft

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bat — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. season — in sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. chip — for betting
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — a division
  18. snap — to click
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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