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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: stem · mine · cold · ruler · nail · chip · suit · squash

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — belonging to me

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