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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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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 · dip · club · kid · shower · branch · temple · pitcher

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. shower — rain
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — to sink
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — child
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. kid — to tease
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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