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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · wave · rest · scale · drill · pop · wake · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. rest — a break
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. scale — in music
  15. pop — music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. rest — what's left
  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