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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: last · prune · mug · current · bay · face · squash · fall

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to point toward
  5. current — of water
  6. last — final
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. current — electric
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to confront
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fall — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. current — happening now
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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