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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: stick · branch · trunk · chip · march · can · straw · snap

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. chip — in a computer
  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