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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: hand · spell · squash · land · mug · stick · pop · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spell — a short time
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — a country
  15. spell — letters
  16. pop — soda
  17. hand — help
  18. land — to come down
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — to rob
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — a face
  24. spell — magic

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