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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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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: cell · nail · kid · swing · foot · wind · stem · hand

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. foot — a measure
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. kid — child
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cell — a phone
  24. foot — the bottom

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