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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 120 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: chip · staff · patient · snap · craft · kid · branch · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. kid — child
  3. craft — boats
  4. snap — to click
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. staff — a stick
  18. foot — a measure
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. branch — a division

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