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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: wax · squash · last · rush · calf · pitcher · toast · fine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — hurry
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. toast — bread
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — to grow
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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