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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: staff · stem · capital · nail · wound · fan · squash · wake

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — money
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. capital — a city
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — an injury

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