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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: tube · pitch · calf · chest · branch · kick · spell · ground

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — a position
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kick — in football
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. tube — a container
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chest — of your body

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