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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 · chip · bulb · drill · date · sharp · spring · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. date — the fruit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. sharp — clever
  23. drill — army training
  24. date — on the calendar

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