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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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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: kick · stick · rush · trunk · chest · branch · game · wake

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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