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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: present · wave · fall · net · last · straw · rest · drill

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — the season
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — finally
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. drill — army training
  10. last — to go on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — there
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. present — a gift
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — final
  24. present — the time now

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