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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: game · mine · wake · lash · calf · nail · bore · bank

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to tire
  11. game — a match
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wake — a trail
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bank — of a river

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