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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: cue · roll · wound · mouse · spring · jam · drill · row

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. row — a line
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spring — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. row — to paddle
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cue — a signal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. row — a quarrel

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