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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · bore · ground · ball · snap · plane · nail · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bore — to tire
  3. plane — a tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — the sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — crushed
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ground — a position

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