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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: wake · mug · last · rash · mate · land · saw · hide

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mug — a cup
  9. last — to go on
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. last — finally
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mug — a face
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. land — ground
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. last — final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. land — a country

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