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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 · squash · date · stick · fall · stand · sharp · wake

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — the fruit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — to crush

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