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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: season · bat · chest · suit · wake · nail · pound · stem

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wake — a trail
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — of the year
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. suit — to fit

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