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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.

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: drill · roll · pop · rash · tube · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tube — a container
  5. roll — a cake
  6. charge — a price
  7. pop — soda
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — a series
  11. drill — army training
  12. pop — music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — in control
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. roll — on a roll

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