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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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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: wave · squash · saw · ground · jam · cabinet · trunk · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ground — the earth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — a position
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. last — to go on
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. jam — a tight spot

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