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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: land · tear · bear · present · squash · calf · last · rash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. present — there
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — to go on
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. rash — a series
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bear — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — a country
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. squash — to crush

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