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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: kick · wave · dip · bore · date · rush · staff · land

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kick — in football
  10. dip — to sink
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bore — to drill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — a stick
  24. land — a country

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