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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: land · staff · wake · roll · wave · temple · pound · fine

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — to come down
  14. roll — a list
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fine — all right
  18. land — ground
  19. roll — a cake
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — a country
  24. wave — of the sea

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