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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: wake · cue · face · bat · kick · branch · chip · current

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chip — to eat
  3. face — to confront
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — part of the head
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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