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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: date · land · wax · rest · straw · last · squash · root

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rest — a break
  5. squash — the sport
  6. date — the fruit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. root — of a word
  14. last — final
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — a country
  18. squash — to crush
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — to grow

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