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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: mark · bark · scale · mug · calf · season · nail · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — of the year
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. band — a ring
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mug — a face
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mug — to rob
  20. scale — in music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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