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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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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: pound · deal · squash · nail · file · stem · mate · wind

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. file — a document
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pound — a weight
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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