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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: hide · squash · band · shower · stem · nail · lean · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lean — to bend
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a ring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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