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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 116 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: land · cue · lash · snap · chip · branch · capital · mouse

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. land — a country
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cue — for pool
  10. capital — a city
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. branch — a division
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. land — ground
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chip — to eat
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to click
  24. mouse — the animal

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