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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 116 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 · chip · field · trunk · lash · spring · perch · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. branch — a division
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — for betting
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. field — a subject
  12. spring — of water
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — an eyelash

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