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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: chip · branch · ground · chair · cap · trunk · kick · fork

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kick — in football
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chip — to eat
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — a position
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chair — a leader

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