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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 120 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: ground · rest · last · squash · wave · rash · stick · tube

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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. wave — a sudden rise
  4. last — final
  5. ground — a position
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rest — a break
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — a series
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — a container
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rash — on the skin

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