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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: scale · firm · kid · patient · sharp · branch · kick · chest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. firm — steady
  10. kick — in football
  11. chest — a box
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. patient — a sick person

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