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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: wake · dip · land · rock · date · staff · scale · ball

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. date — the fruit
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — a country
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ball — a great time
  13. land — ground
  14. ball — a dance
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. staff — employees
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. scale — in music
  24. land — to come down

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