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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · staff · spell · hide · pitcher · tear · nail · cell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — a tin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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