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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: dip · last · wound · rule · rest · can · squash · root

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — finally
  3. can — a tin
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. can — to be able to
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. rest — a break
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rule — government
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — to rule out

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