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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: sharp · shower · branch · calf · board · mug · chip · chest

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. branch — a division
  11. mug — a face
  12. chest — a box
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chip — for betting
  15. board — to get on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a committee
  21. mug — to rob
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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