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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 · rash · last · present · row · calf · saw · mine

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — the time now
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. last — finally
  9. present — there
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — hasty
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — final
  24. squash — the vegetable

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