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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: kick · wake · stick · net · branch · chip · shower · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — for betting
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. last — final
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — a division
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  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