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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 116 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
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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: can · squash · wound · hand · kick · stem · chair · spell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — in football
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — magic
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — a short time
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stem — to come from
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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