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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: kid · row · track · branch · kick · face · march · safe

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kid — child
  3. march — music
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — to keep track
  6. kid — to tease
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a song
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kick — in football
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. branch — a division

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