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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 · nail · kick · calf · wound · cold · mouse · dip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bear — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — an illness
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bear — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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