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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: present · game · charge · nail · kid · branch · hand · calf

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — in control
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. charge — electricity
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. present — there
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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