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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: squash · arm · rock · wax · bark · last · mug · shower

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rock — a stone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mug — a face
  7. last — final
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. shower — rain
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — to wash

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