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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: drill · pound · branch · chest · object · shower · nail · calf

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. object — a thing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. chest — a box
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pound — a weight
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. object — to protest
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. nail — on a finger

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