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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: content · bound · drill · roll · bore · straw · scale · row

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. roll — a list
  4. row — a line
  5. content — happy
  6. bound — obliged
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bound — certain
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bore — to tire
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — the amount
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — a practice
  24. straw — a straw man

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