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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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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: pound · fork · rock · mine · bank · cold · wound · calf

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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