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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: bank · wound · pound · snap · calf · pitch

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. snap — to click
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pound — a weight
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — of a river
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal

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