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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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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: squash · pound · land · rash · stock · wax · staff · kick

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — a series
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kick — in football
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — employees
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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