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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: last · bulb · hide · face · rush · field · rest · squash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — to go on
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. face — part of the head
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — final
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — to confront
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — hurry

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