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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: squash · pound · net · capital · wound · object · rest · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. squash — the sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. object — a thing
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — an aim
  16. pound — a weight
  17. capital — a city
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — after costs
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — to crush

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