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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: bear · mark · nail · band · current · calf · present · chest

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a ring
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a music group
  9. present — there
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. current — of water
  13. mark — a grade
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — electric
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. band — a rubber band

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