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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: branch · race · foot · kick · pound · fan · chest · face

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. face — part of the head
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pound — a weight
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. face — to confront
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kick — in football
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — a division
  21. foot — a measure
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — a supporter

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