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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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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: rock · dip · bat · wake · firm · calf · scale · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. firm — decided
  6. bat — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rock — music
  9. scale — in music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — a company
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. firm — steady
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — a stone

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