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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: last · stick · cell · season · rest · present · wound · nail

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. present — a gift
  5. last — final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — in sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — the time now
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. present — there

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