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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · foot · pitcher · bass · bark · craft · kick · lean

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — low music
  17. kick — in football
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chest — a box
  24. lean — to rest against

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