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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 120 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: mark · pitcher · nail · present · bank · last · calf · mine

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. present — there
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bank — of a river
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mine — for digging
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — a grade
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — final
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — a young animal
  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