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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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468
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: calf · bank · swing · bark · mine · nail · game · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bank — for money
  7. rock — a stone
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bark — to shout
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. swing — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. swing — to play on
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — of the leg

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