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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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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: mug · chest · branch · fall · kick · capital · march · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. chest — a box
  15. mug — a face
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mug — a cup
  19. capital — a city
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — a division

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