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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — a weight
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — ground
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. root — of a word
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. root — the cause
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — a country
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. staff — employees

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