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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 · calf · game · wound · bank · mark · bat · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mark — a trace
  10. last — final
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  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