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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: spell · wake · dip · squash · rest · foot · bound · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rest — what's left
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — letters
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bound — certain
  17. spell — magic
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — a break
  21. squash — the sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. last — finally

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