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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · wake · chair · rash · mine · band · roll · ground

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — a series
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rest — what's left
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rash — on the skin

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