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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: nail · lean · kid · mug · cell · bark · toast · calf

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. 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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mug — a face
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. toast — bread
  18. cell — a phone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — child
  24. 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