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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: squash · ruler · toast · face · staff · cap · stem · net

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. face — part of the head
  3. toast — bread
  4. squash — the sport
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cap — of ice
  21. staff — employees
  22. cap — a lid
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. stem — of a plant

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