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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · mark · branch · stand · kick · pitcher

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mark — a trace

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