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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 120 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: snap · mug · cap · staff · root · cold · squash · nail

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cap — of ice
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. squash — the sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to click
  16. root — the cause
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a word
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mug — a cup
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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