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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 116 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: last · kick · wind · patient · bore · rest · squash · spell

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kick — in football
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — to go on
  9. spell — letters
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rest — a break
  18. squash — to crush
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rest — what's left

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