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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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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: last · bay · wave · fall · cold · tear · trunk · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — finally
  3. cold — an illness
  4. last — to go on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — a break
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — to rip
  24. last — final

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