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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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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: squash · wake · rule · fan · last · cabinet · tear · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. last — final
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. last — finally
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — a law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — to go on
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rule — government

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