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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 120 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 · band · calf · key · wake · bulb · snap · sharp

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a ring
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — a trail
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bulb — for light
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to click
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bulb — for light
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. band — a music group
  23. key — for a lock
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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