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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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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 · cap · leaves · arm · squash · cold · wake · stick

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cold — an illness
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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