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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · lash · object · pop · drill · wind · rock · straw

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — a practice
  11. land — ground
  12. pop — music
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pop — soda
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. land — to come down
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. drill — army training
  24. object — an aim

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