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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.

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: rash · hide · drill · wake · rest · spring · arm · last

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rest — a break
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. drill — army training
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — finally
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — to go on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rash — a series
  21. last — final
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. drill — the tool

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