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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: chest · craft · branch · mate · wake · kick · tear · pitch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mate — a partner
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. kick — in football
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — of a bank

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