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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 116 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: bowl · mark · band · straw · file · leaves · pound · drill

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pound — a weight
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a music group
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mark — a grade
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. drill — the tool
  15. band — a ring
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. drill — army training
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. file — a document
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — of a tree

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