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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: drill · ball · spring · bowl · roll · pound · wind · chip

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — the tool
  15. roll — a list
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. roll — a cake

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