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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: wound · branch · rash · chip · march · racket · hide · pound

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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