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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: stick · bass · wound · content · hide · cap · staff · nail

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a hat
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — the amount
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bass — low music
  19. content — happy
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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