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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: pop · trunk · fork · squash · last · saw · tear · pass

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — final
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pop — soda
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. last — finally
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. trunk — of a tree

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