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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 120 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: kick · swing · kid · wave · land · branch · chip · lash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. land — a country
  5. kid — child
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. swing — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chip — to eat
  14. swing — in golf
  15. land — to come down
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. land — ground
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kick — in football
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. kid — to tease

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