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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 · season · last · foot · wake · lie · bark · club

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lie — to recline
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. club — a group
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. season — of the year
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. foot — a measure

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