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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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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 · squash · wake · band · dip · fork · season · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cell — a phone
  3. squash — to crush
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. band — a music group
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wake — a trail
  15. season — in sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. dip — to sink
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. wake — before a funeral

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