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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: bulb · wound · nail · bank · calf · cold · mark · snap

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. snap — to click
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cold — an illness
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bank — for money
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bank — of a river
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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