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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 116 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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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: lash · fall · rule · perch · land · pop · staff · pound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — to come down
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — soda
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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