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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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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: rest · row · last · wake · stock · straw · ball · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — finally
  3. rest — a break
  4. ball — a dance
  5. last — to go on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. last — final
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — a trail
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — goods
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a quarrel

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