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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
468
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 · capital · squash · pass · spring · sharp · arm · pound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — a weight
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — a permit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — of water
  24. pass — to spend time

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