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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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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 · mouse · hand · prune · chip · key · band · ground

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a ring
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — a division
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. key — in music

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