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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: kid · roll · trunk · pop · pound · lean · row · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — a line
  10. kid — to tease
  11. roll — a list
  12. pop — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. drill — a practice

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