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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: branch · ball · chip · nail · present · game · leaves · land

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. present — there
  3. land — ground
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — to eat
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — a country
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — a gift
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. land — to come down

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