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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: branch · lash · cell · deal · kid · land · chip · ball

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — to come down
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — a division
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. land — ground

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