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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: squash · nail · roll · lie · mine · net · stem · cabinet

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — for catching
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mine — for digging
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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