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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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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: straw · face · branch · band · cap · kick · present · chip

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. face — to point toward
  3. band — a music group
  4. branch — a division
  5. face — to confront
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. present — there
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — to eat
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — in football
  14. chip — for betting
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — part of the head
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. present — a gift
  24. kick — a thrill

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