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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 120 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 · fine · last · tear · game · fan · bowl · wake

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — final
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. last — finally
  24. tear — from crying

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