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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: nail · squash · spring · suit · capital · wake · lean · pound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lean — thin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. squash — the sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spring — of water
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a city
  14. spring — a coil
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. suit — clothes
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — a weight

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