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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: branch · chest · game · kick · rush · calf · can · file

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — a tin
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kick — in football
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. rush — hurry
  20. file — a document
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — to be able to
  24. kick — a thrill

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