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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: stand · nail · chest · cabinet · roll · ground · snap · squash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. roll — a list
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to click
  24. stand — for spectators

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