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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 116 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: ground · spell · wound · trunk · nail · squash · cue · swing

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — crushed
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — to crush
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ground — a position
  23. cue — for pool
  24. nail — on a finger

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