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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 116 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: calf · stick · branch · ground · swing · march · kid · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — music
  5. lean — thin
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — a position
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kid — child

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