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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: stem · chest · band · swing · kick · track · mark · chair

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mark — a trace
  3. swing — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kick — in football

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