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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: swing · chest · calf · branch · stick · kick · pitcher · sharp

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. branch — a division
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. calf — a young animal

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