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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: patient · spell · squash · file · stem · mark · spring · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — of water
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mark — a grade
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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