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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · nail · spell · wind · sharp · squash · capital · plane

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — to crush
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — money
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. plane — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — a short time
  19. capital — a city
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spell — magic

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