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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: fork · wind · craft · track · squash · rash · rest · last

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — final
  10. track — a path
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — a song
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fork — in a road
  22. craft — boats
  23. last — finally
  24. craft — a handicraft

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