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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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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: wave · lash · pop · staff · net · mine · land · rock

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. rock — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — a stone
  8. staff — a stick
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — for digging
  22. land — ground
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lash — an eyelash

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