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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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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: nail · season · snap · stem · spell · deal · dip · board

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spell — letters
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — magic
  11. deal — to handle
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. season — in sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. dip — to sink
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. board — to get on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. nail — for a hammer

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