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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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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: rest · dip · squash · tear · wave · current · wake · pass

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. current — of water
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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