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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 · last · mug · present · pound · wake · roll · lash

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — ground
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. present — a gift
  9. land — a country
  10. last — final
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pound — a weight
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. present — there
  21. last — to go on
  22. mug — a cup
  23. roll — a list
  24. pound — for dogs

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